When I worked up north near Ukiah, my commute used to take an hour. That’s a lot of down time, in the car all by myself, with nothing else to do. Empty hours and larger fuel bills were two of the sacrifices my wife and I, commuting in opposite directions, had to make in order to stay a two income family.
So one day, driving along with only my thoughts to keep me company, I get the idea: why not make better use of my time and practice my instrument while commuting? I popped a CD into the player for accompaniment, and ever since that day, my commute was never quite the same. Now, I know there are laws against talking on your cell phone without a headset while driving. And texting while driving is just about equivalent to being a drunk driver. There probably is, or should be, a law against doing anything but driving while you’re driving, but I don’t care. I’ve had friends who have even admitted to reading a book while driving. They’re still alive. So why shouldn’t I be able to practice my instrument in the car? I’m not especially good at multitasking, but I know I can do this safely.
More than a few years back, Arlo Guthrie wrote what is probably still the definitive song about the dangers of making music while driving.
I don’t want a pickle; I just want to ride on my motor-sickle
And I don’t want a tickle; I just want to ride on my motor-sickle
And I don’t want to die; I just want to ride on my motor-cye … cle.
In the narration of the song, Arlo describes the motorcycle ride which inspired it. He was biking along on a beautiful road playing his guitar one day. Mountains were on one side and a cliff edge was on the other. Unfortunately for Arlo, he broke a guitar string, the string wrapped itself around a yield sign, and he did what he described as a “quick right turn”. Still, Arlo feels fortunate because he doesn’t go into the mountain. “I went over the cliff.” And fortunately for all of us, Arlo had the time to write down this great song during that free fall, (despite having to first change the cartridge on his pen).
That’s all I’m asking for when I practice while driving, simply the opportunity to be more time-efficient. I know I’ll never accomplish as much in this way musically as a Woody or an Arlo, but at least I’ll be ahead on my own scale. The road I drove to work is not unlike the road Arlo described in his song. Highway 101 through northern Sonoma county and into Mendocino county includes the beautiful Russian River Gorge between Cloverdale and Hopland. It’s a very scenic byway and the traffic is not too bad, heading north in the morning and south in the evening, as I did.
But don’t go notifying the highway patrol on that road about your columnist’s crazy behavior. I can assure you they’ve got better things to do than pull me over. I’m never going to break a string while driving and meet Arlo’s fate. And it’s not because I have my windows rolled up. It’s because I’m not playing one of the “big six” Bluegrass instruments. Yes, the instrument I love to play on these trips is my voice.
A beautiful drive through our great country should make anyone want to sing! What could be more natural and appropriate? It’s too bad so many of us suppress our yearning to make song and only feel comfortable in the shower or other private place where we don’t think we can be heard. If we can be overheard, many of us are comfortable singing only if we can be drowned out by others, like we are at church. The car is a wonderful place to sing, whether we’re alone or on a long road trip with our friends or family.
My voice isn’t the greatest, but I still love to sing. On some mornings, I wake up with extra phlegm in my throat or something, and I’m surprised at how good I sound! On such mornings, I love to sing along with a gospel CD and put in the low harmony part. Harmonizing with a group known for their tight harmony gives you the illusion sometimes that you really ARE a great singer! Sometimes I feel ready for anything and I’ll put the player on shuffle. Bring it on! And when my voice gets tired, rather than skipping to a song, I just let the CD play right through an instrumental tune until I’m ready for more singing.
So here’s my advice to you. Get yourself an arm full of CDs. Pick CDs with especially good singing. Doyle Lawson, IIIrd Tyme Out, Hazel Dickens with Alice Foster, Carter and Ralph. Whatever you like. Take the CDs to your car for your next drive. Don’t be shy about filling some musical spaces with the best singers in Bluegrass. You’ll feel good about proving to yourself once again that singing really is the soul of Bluegrass music. And another great thing is: wherever you go, you’ll never forget to bring an instrument along.
